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The 2024 Olympics may have just ended, but Gabby Douglas is already looking ahead to the 2028 Games. The gymnast—whose Paris Olympics bid was thwarted by an ankle injury—is focusing on her recovery, and naturally, her next routine. “I’m curious to see what the gymnastics skills look like for 2028,” she tells me over Zoom. In preparation, she’s working on getting the team together, figuring out her training structure, and icing her injury.
But in the meantime, Douglas has been using her downtime to put herself first. After making history at the London Olympics 12 years ago as the first Black gymnast to ever win the all-around gold—and four years later, winning the team gold in Rio as part of the “Final Five”—she says it’s a little nice to be out of the spotlight. “I’m naturally introverted,” she says with a giggle. Her balancing act goes beyond the beam, too. As she puts it, gymnastics can be a “grueling” sport, and behind her effortless twists and turns is a bevy of mental and physical strength.
“I’ve been doing a lot of reflection lately,” she says, like spending long spans of time by herself, journaling, and being around animals. “We go through a lot behind the scenes, and I think people don’t realize that—they only see what’s on TV,” she says. To watch the Olympics this year and see so many athletes (including teammates Simone Biles and Suni Lee) speak out on their mental health was amazing, she adds.
“You only get one life, so it’s important to take care of it,” Douglas says. For anyone struggling, she offers words of advice, no doubt informed by her personal experiences: “Your fans will appreciate [you being real] and always be behind you. Don’t be scared to take a step back and take some time for yourself.”
And that seems to be exactly what Douglas is doing. In between training and healing her injury, she made sure to root for her fellow pro athletes at this year’s Paris Games, and like many of us, caught some of the highlights on TikTok, too. Track and field is always a favorite event of hers, she shares, but she was equally delighted (and somewhat perplexed) by this year’s inclusion of breakdancing. (The sport had its first and sadly its last year at the international competition, but while it lasted, it served us with plenty of viral moments—among them routines from Australian breakdancer Raygun, whose bizarre moves managed to score zero points throughout three competitions.) “There were definitely some performances that were a little out there,” she says with a smirk.
The other scenes taking over Douglas’s For You page? Cobra Kai memes. The gymnast shares that she’s “a huge fan” of the Netflix drama—which follows Johnny Lawrence (of The Karate Kid) as he opens his own dojo—and despite some “corny” moments, she still finds herself laughing constantly at the action.
Douglas’s downtime has also included some time to put her feet up (literally). A partnership with Dr. Scholl’s has given her the opportunity to hone in on her footcare, which even she admits to overlooking occasionally. “I always pound my feet,” she says, “or I use the chalk until it dries out my feet.” Her favorite savior is the brand’s Ultra-Hydrating Foot Cream, paired with the Severe Cracked Heel Repair Restoring Balm. After all, when millions of eyes are watching your routine, footcare goes beyond just a pedicure.
While her priority is certainly getting herself ready for competition, Douglas is also eager to see what the 2028 Olympics, which will be held in Los Angeles, will bring in terms of fashion. “This year there was a lot more fashion, obviously because of Paris, versus when I did 2012 and 2016,” she says, referencing the London and Rio Games, respectively. “I’m excited to see the apparel for Los Angeles.” And if the elaborate closing ceremony performances by Billie Eilish, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg, and even Tom Cruise were anything to go by, we’re in for a dose of Hollywood magic—so expect to see athletes, including Douglas, to rep their best angeleno style.
We’ll have to wait four more years to see Douglas on the Olympic stage, which this year brought a string of record-making moments from her fellow U.S. gymnasts. During our chat, the athlete recognizes the achievements of her peers, but is hesitant to compare her journey to anyone else’s. “I’m worrying about myself right now,” she says, matter-of-factly. Because in a sports setting that’s finally changing its tune around mental health, she can.
